Contratistas USA atacados en Riad

Según reportan varias agencias, un ciudadano estadounidense fue muerto a tiros, mientras que otro fue ligeramente herido, después de que su coche -un Chevrolet Tahoe-, fuera atacado por dos hombres armados desconocidos. Uno de los asaltantes, el que luego fue herido y arrestado al intercambiar disparos   con la policía, resultó ser un  saudí, de alrededor de 20 años de edad y nacido en Estados Unidos.  

El ataque tuvo lugar en una gasolinera cercana a la sede de la empresa de las víctimas, Vinnell Arabia, situada a algo más de 30 kilómetros de la Embajada de Estados Unidos.

Ambos norteamericanos eran  empleados de una empresa privada, contratada para labores de seguridad e identificada como Vinnell Saudita, según un alto cargo del Departamento de Estado norteamericano, la que asesora a  la Guardia Nacional de esa nación árabe.  

No es la primera vez que se realizan ataques contra norteamericanos. En mayo de 2003 se realizó un atentado con un camión bomba en el que murieron 10 de ellos y 3 filipinos. En el 2007 fueron asesinados tres franceses.

Pentágono recurrió a contratistas en la lucha contra el narco en México

Las oficinas de Dyncorp en EU. Foto: AP

La Oficina contra Narco y Terrorismo, dependiente del Pentágono, ofreció de 2005 a 2009 contratos por más de 170 millones de dólares a compañías privadas de seguridad que operan en México con el propósito de apoyar la lucha contra el narcotráfico en el país, según el reporte Nueva información sobre contratos contra narcóticos en Latinoamérica del Senado de los Estados Unidos.

México es el segundo país que mayor presupuesto recibe por parte de dicha oficina (el primero es Colombia). Ello a pesar de que un informe requerido por el Congreso estadunidense ha encontrado que esa inversión ha servido de poco.

“Entre los hallazgos del análisis se encontró que de 2005 a 2009 la mayoría de los contratos de contra-narcóticos en Latinoamérica se entregaron a solo cinco contratistas privados: DynCorp, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, ITT, y ARINC, con un presupuesto colectivo de 1.8 billones de dólares”, anota el reporte requerido por el Senador Claire McCaskill.

Los recursos destinados para Latinoamérica representan el 32% del presupuesto general de la Oficina contra Narco y Terrorismo del Pentágono (CNTPO, por sus siglas en inglés) para todo el mundo; es decir, 3.1 billones de dólares anuales, según el mismo reporte.

Los países latinoamericanos que reciben mayores contratos de esta oficina son Colombia, México, Perú, Bolivia, Ecuador, Haití, Guatemala y la República Dominicana.

Un contrato de este tipo fue publicado el pasado 21 de marzo por la CNTPO. Tiene como objetivo instalar una gigantesca red de telecomunicaciones para la lucha contra las drogas en Chihuahua, uno de los estados más afectado por la violencia derivada de la guerra contra el narcotráfico.  El monto de este contrato es de 4.2 millones de dólares.

“En un esfuerzo por combatir las actividades de tráfico de drogas y fortalecer las comunicaciones que operan entre la Ciudad de Chihuahua y Ciudad Juárez, el Departamento de Defensa de los Estados Unidos, Contra Narco y Terrorismo (CNTPO) compró para la Policía Federal todo el equipo de telecomunicaciones necesario por un total de 4 millones 212 mil 614 dólares para establecer cobertura de telecomunicaciones entre ambas ciudades”, describe el documento.

El acuerdo entre la Oficina y el INL-México, incluye la instalación de una nueva base para la estación de repetidoras, transmisores de microondas, reemplazo y reubicación de equipo, cuatro torres, una planta eléctrica, entrenamiento, instrucciones y seguridad para el equipo.

La red de telecomunicaciones será instalada en 33 entidades de Chihuahua, incluyendo Ciudad Juárez, y estará conectada con Presidio, Texas.

Las beneficiadas

DynCorp, una de las cinco empresas que acaparan los contratos millonarios que ofrece CNTPO, ha reforzado su presencia en México desde la paulatina retirada de las tropas estadounidenses en Irak.

La empresa opera desde el domicilio 1770, Insurgentes Sur, en la Ciudad de México y en 2012 inició una campaña para que exmilitares estadounidenses  ofrezcan el servicio de guardias privados en todo el país, según un informe del Pentágono publicado en ese año.

La compañía cuenta actualmente con 14 mil empleados y en 2006 sus ingresos netos fueron de 7.2 millones de dólares. En el sitio oficial de DynCorp se establece que uno de los directores es Jame Woosley, exdirector de la Agencia Central de Investigaciones (CIA).

Según la información disponible en el sitio “Justia”, una organización dedicada a la recopilación de juicios en Estados Unidos, esta empresa ha sido acusada en tribunales internacionales por acciones ilegales como el tráfico de armas para Irán en los ochenta; tráfico de menores de edad en Bosnia en los noventa; tortura a prisioneros en Irak en 2002 y actuar como mercenarios en Colombia durante los últimos años.

Lockheed Martin, de acuerdo a su sitio oficial, es una compañía multinacional de la industria aeroespacial “con grandes recursos en tecnología avanzada y guerra global”, fundada en 1995 a partir de la fusión de Lockheed con Martin Marietta.

La industria aeroespacial se estableció en Baja California hace cerca de 30 años y exporta desde Tijuana alrededor de 447.7 millones de dólares anuales en piezas para las áreas de defensa e inteligencia en Estados Unidos, según su sitio oficial en México. Actualmente su directora es Marillyn A. Hewson, una de las 50 mujeres más poderosas en el mundo de los negocios, según la revista Forbes.

La tercera empresa más beneficiada es Raytheon, una corporación industrial establecida desde 1922 y uno de los contratistas de defensa militares más grandes de Estados Unidos.

En 2013 se dio a conocer que Raytheon ha desarrollado un software que permite rastrear en tiempo real a cualquier persona en el mundo. El programa obtiene los datos y fotos de Facebook y los mini-mensajes de Twitter.  Además aprovecha la localización por GPS que las personas activan en smartphones y en aplicaciones como Foursquare. Con todo ello, y las rutinas que se desprenden, el software de Raytheon podría predecir comportamientos y desplazamientos de las personas rastreadas.

Actualmente Raytheon mantiene una oficina en la Ciudad de México para ofrecer mantenimiento y venta de aeronaves.

Por su parte, ARINC es una compañía estadounidense dedicada al transporte, comunicaciones y sistemas de ingeniería aeronáutica.  Mantiene alrededor de tres mil 200 empleados en todo el mundo.

En 2013 el Instituto Nacional de Migración seleccionó a ARINC para recopilar y analizar la información de cada pasajero en todos los aeropuertos de México, operando junto a más de 250 empresas de aviación, según anunció la compañía mediante un comunicado.

Opacidad

El citado informe del Senado estadunidense señala que los resultados de estos contratos millonarios son opacos y mal manejados.

“El gobierno federal no tiene ningún sistema uniforme para medir o evaluar si los contratos contra-narcóticos están cumpliendo sus objetivos”, anota el documento.

“Ni el Departamento de Defensa ni el Departamento de Estado mantienen un sistema adecuado para rastrear la información” sobre estos contratos, los cuales “son manejados de manera inconsistente y propensos a errores”, agrega.

Robert Plumlee, expiloto de la CIA, asegura que cualquier contrato con dicha oficina es “dinero tirado”.  Sostiene que este programa tiene más las características de una “operación especial” que de una ayuda federal.

“Yo no lo llamaría un apoyo sino un programa de Operaciones Especiales. Esta oficina era la encargada de entrenar a marines para incursionar en México alrededor de 2009 y la pregunta es: ¿Está valiendo la pena?”, dijo el exagente de la CIA.

Plumlee cuestionó además la transparencia en cuanto a los millones de dólares que ofrece la Oficina a contratistas particulares.

“El otro problema es, ¿A dónde va el dinero si los problemas siguen persistiendo? La situación sigue igual en la frontera de México”, comentó.

Luis Chaparro

Tomado de  http://www.proceso.com.mx

Contractor lost $21 million in ill-fated Cuba project

American Alan Gross says a reckless desire for profit drove a Maryland contractor, leading to hasty decisions that may have made it easier for Cuban authorities to capture him in December 2009.

Authorities jailed Gross while he was carrying out work under a USAID contract called, "Cuba Democracy and Contingency Planning Program."

Published reports say Gross received more than $500,000 for his work, which involved smuggling satellite gear and other equipment into Cuba so that people would be able to establish Internet connections that didn't depend on the government network.

Development Alternatives Inc., or DAI, of Bethesda, Md., hired Gross to carry out the work.

I looked at contract information available in public records and it appears to me that DAI lost $21,452,813 in future receipts after Gross was arrested and USAID cancelled the contract.

Below is what USAID paid DAI under the $28,310,630 contract:

• Aug 14, 2008 -  $2,000,000
• Sep 30, 2008 - $2,000,000
• May 18, 2009 - $1,000,000
• Aug 18, 2009 - $1,000,000
• Sep 29, 2009 - $853,976
• Sep 30, 2009 - $3,841

Total: $6,857,817

In a Nov. 16 lawsuit against DAI and the federal government, Gross says greed motivated the contractor. If that's true, the pursuit of money may have also prevented the company from completing the contract and collecting $21 million.
But don't feel too sorry for DAI. USAID has given the company more than $4 billion since 2000 for projects around the world.
The real loser is Gross, now serving a 15-year prison term, his wife, Judy, and the rest of their family.

Posted by Tracey Eaton at Tuesday, November 20, 2012

 

Along the Malecon

Ex-CIA agent leads new team of journalists in Cuba (Inglés)

The U.S. government has hired a former CIA agent to create and manage a team of at least 10 journalists in Cuba, contract records show.
Daniel Gabriel has exceptional qualifications. He is a former operations assistant at CNN who later joined the CIA and completed six tours to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
His biography describes him as a former CIA covert action officer who spent 10 years "countering violent-extremism, directing counter-insurgency operations, and developing and benchmarking counter-radicalization theory and methodology in the Islamic world."

According to his LinkedIn profile:

Gabriel helped pioneer the use of social media in war-fighting and political conflict, and he was an early advocate for incorporating social media metrics into predictive intelligence and risk analysis. He is a subject matter expert and original researcher of interactive digital media strategies, social network analysis, international media research, text analytics, latent semantic indexing, strategic planning techniques, operational and organizational design, and complex system dynamics.

Quincy Street

One colleague raved:

Keep your eyes glued to this guy - he rocks.

Gabriel is the founding partner of Applied Memetics, located at 888 Quincy St., Suite 1901, in Arlington, Va.

• A Sept. 26 contract shows that the Broadcasting Board of Governors, or BBG, agreed to pay Applied Memetics $9,909 for work performed from Sept. 26 to Nov. 15.
• A Nov. 14 document shows the contract was modified to include options extending the contract to Oct. 31, 2016.

The BBG's Sept. 7 request for proposals said the Cuban reporters would operate in "major cities in Cuba, including Havana and Santiago de Cuba" and "would provide regular local news and feature reports."
The Cuban stringers would be required to "conduct interviews and provide fair, accurate, balanced and objective news and feature stories in Spanish for broadcast on radio, television, mobile and web as required, including breaking news, and deliver news reports and work on short deadlines."

Before founding the company, Gabriel "was a key architect and implementer of strategic engagement, collaboration, and de-confliction efforts across USG agencies to integrate global counter-terrorism strategic communications campaign after 9/11," according to his biography.
He worked as an operations assistant at CNN’s Washington Bureau for Crossfire and as a freelance reporter for the Washington Times before joining the CIA.
Gabriel was also an aide, researcher and New Hampshire political director for conservative politician Patrick Buchanan from 1996 to 2000.
His Arlington company's partners include:

• Caspian Global, which was "founded by former military personnel, intelligence officers and federal contracting experts; the majority possessing high level security clearances."
• Red Five Security, whose personnel "have extensive experience in security operations and intelligence; security design and engineering; threat and vulnerability assessments; investigations; and have trained corporate and government security professionals around the globe. The team includes experts from the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Departments of State, Defense and Energy as well as accredited security design specialists."
• BAE Systems, which says it is "building on our strength as a global provider of defence and security products to shape support services that meet the changing needs of our customers. From sophisticated cyber services and military support, to mission critical electronic systems and protection equipment, we aim to be at the forefront of defence technology and science."
• Reservoir International, which says its "core function is organizational training in the intricate fields of Human Intelligence (HUMINT), Advanced Special Operations (ASO) and Unconventional Warfare (UW): a core function born of the belief that challenging and relevant training in these fields is vital to the survival and success of the Nation’s warriors."
• Active Media, which says, "Our Business is Growing Your Business Online"

BAE Systems' Jetstream aircraft known as ‘The Flying Test Bed,"
an aerial laboratory that can fly unmanned or with pilots.

In November 2011, the Army hired Applied Memetics to carry out "social networking training," and paid the company $14,626 for services performed from Nov. 23, 2011, to Jan. 6, 2012, a contract document show.
The BBG, which manages the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, said the contractor managing the Cuba journalists would be required to produce "at least five stories per week, depending on the news cycle."
Production was expected to include video news packages ranging in length from two to five minutes; raw footage, including B-roll, interviews and sound bites; written stories for use in radio and on websites, and photos, when possible, according to a price schedule.

Prospective members of the news team, according to the BBG:

• Must be able to gather photographs and video, and write, narrate or film (video) verifiable information (by two sources or based on eyewitness reports);
• Must be able to both pitch their own stories and respond to the needs of the BBG newsrooms. Must have initiative and develop news stories and ideas independently. Must generate original stories and establish a network of sources both in government and outside official channels in order to report on a wide variety of subjects. Stories regarding politics and economics are of particular interest as are those of the dissident movement. The stringers must also be able to identify and cover stories related to civil society, social issues, sports and entertainment;
• Must have a phone and know how to communicate via SMS, twitter and how to send pictures and videos. Must know how to navigate on social media;
• Must also comply with journalistic guidelines and standards set by OCB;
• Stringers should preferably have journalism degrees. If they are experienced in the field of journalism without the degree, OCB will review what their prior experience is and what media association they provided information for;
• Must be able to show valid identification with current and correct information even if they go by a pseudonym, and may not work as editors of Cuban state-run media organization and programs or be affiliated in any way with the Cuban Government or the Cuban Communist Party.

Additional background is below:

From the BBG's request for proposals

The journalists under employment need not be full time employees of the interested party (i.e. they can be freelancers) but the company will handle all necessary paperwork and payments related to the employment of said journalists, including taxes, tariffs, etc.  

In addition, Contractor shall be responsible for the accuracy and technical quality of the reports. BBG shall own the copyright to all materials and reports provided by the stringers. All stringer reports must be approved by OCB to ensure they meet journalistic and technical standards. Contractor shall not invoice for any reports which fail to meet OCB journalistic criteria and technical standards. 

Additional information: BBG holds a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control to engage the services of Cuban nationals in Cuba for the purpose of preparing news-related materials. The BBG does not currently employ any stringers (i.e. freelance journalists) in Cuba; however, the agency could provide the Contractor with a list of potential candidates for consideration.

From Applied Memetics' mission statement

Applied Memetics LLC is a professional services company dedicated to integrating and delivering best practice communication and information solutions in pre-conflict, conflict, or post-conflict areas. We create and execute strategic communications and information operations that are grounded in conceptual clarity, rigorous methodology, and on-the-ground experience.

From new media to traditional media to dynamic engineering of social networks: we exploit and leverage perceptions to create new realities on the ground. Our approach combines over sixty years of academic and applied experience in the field, and a sound understanding of business process. The partners and staff of Memetics have provided solutions and insight to the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Multi National Forces-Iraq, Fortune 500 companies, and American embassies worldwide.

The senior partners at Memetics have personally witnessed the failure - often on a massive scale – of Government and commercial sector clients who fail to ignore the art and science of communication. The Memetics approach seeks to deliver appropriately-themed messages and information to precise target audiences with a goal of viral message propagation and acceptance throughout an informational environment. Our approach is also our value proposition: to leverage current, best-practice technology applications and communications methodologies; to identify networks and key influencers; to deliver highly-effective themes and messages, and to incorporate measures of effectiveness (MOE) into all our services and products.

Our experience in both semi-permissive and non-permissive threat environments - and our preexisting global networks and contacts - allow us to support our clients’ communication and information needs in all environments and under all conditions. Whether boardroom or back alley – from the strategic to the tactical – Memetics will provide its customers with effects-based communications solutions, linking people and networks.

Dan Gabriel's LinkedIn profile

Specialties

 
Mr. Gabriel helped pioneer the use of social media in war-fighting and political conflict, and he was an early advocate for incorporating social media metrics into predictive intelligence and risk analysis. He is a subject matter expert and original researcher of interactive digital media strategies, social network analysis, international media research, text analytics, latent semantic indexing, strategic planning techniques, operational and organizational design, and complex system dynamics.

Experience

CEO
Applied Memetics, LLC
2007 – Present (5 years) Arlington, VA

Mr. Gabriel is the founding partner of Applied Memetics, LLC, (www.appliedmemeticsllc.com), a professional services company dedicated to integrating and delivering best practice communication and information solutions in pre-conflict, conflict, or post-conflict areas. Applied Memetics LLC brings together a team of leading experts in crisis communications, international affairs, cognitive psychology, information systems analysis, and strategic communications to shape and understand information flows that impact global commerce, governance, and national security.

• Researched and developed evolutionary-based models of cultural information transfer for grassroots campaigns and direct action operations in support of DoD Irregular Warfare and Unconventional Warfare campaigns.
• Innovated the use of social media in war-fighting and political conflict; early advocate for incorporating social media metrics into predictive intelligence and risk analysis.
• Subject matter expert in social network analysis, international media research, text analytics, latent semantic indexing, digital media strategies, operational and organizational design, and complex system dynamics.
Dan has 1 recommendation (1 partner) including:
3rd Christopher D., Owner and Principal Consultant, @Du4.llc
Staff Operations Officer
Central Intelligence Agency
Government Agency; 10,001+ employees; International Affairs industry
2003 – 2006 (3 years) Mclean, VA
• Completed six tours to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
• Conducted sensitive operations in hostile areas to support USG National Security objectives against terrorist groups and foreign governments.
• Spotted, assessed, and developed potential assets for further development and acquisition.
• Managed clandestine human intelligence operations (HUMINT) in Southeast Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
• Interfaced with US diplomatic personnel and host country law enforcement agencies to coordinate strategic influence operations.
Account Executive
CRC Public Relations
Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Public Relations and Communications industry
1999 – 2000 (1 year) Alexandria, VA
• Planned and executed earned media strategy for political and corporate clients.
• Developed corporate and brand messaging platforms; built effective, integrated programs targeting multiple stakeholder and influencer audiences.
• Gained corporate communications experience and expertise in the areas of corporate reputation, executive profile building, crisis and issues management, public engagement, and media training.
• Provided leadership in the areas of total account management, including day-to-day account activity and the provision of strategic guidance and counsel to clients in support of their business objectives.
• Coordinated national radio and cable TV appearances and op-ed placement for clients' spokesmen.

Photo: Wikipedia

Honors and Awards

Eagle Scout
Boy Scouts of America

Education

Babson College - Franklin W. Olin Graduate School of Business
MBA, Master of Business Administration, Entrepreneurship
2007 – 2010

Mr. Gabriel holds an MBA from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, which has been rated #1 for Entrepreneurship by U.S.News & World Report for 19 years running. At Babson, Mr. Gabriel focused on incorporating entrepreneurial thought and action across disciplines in the pursuit of both economic and social value. His focus included: Creating and Leading Effective Organizations; Financial Reporting; Strategy; Data, Models and Decisions; Defining, Offering and Delivering Value to Customers; Managerial Economics; Technology and Operations Management; and, Global Business opportunities.

The George Washington University
MA International Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs
2002 – 2006

Concentration in Security Policy Studies and the Middle East:
-Political Psychology
-US National Security Policy and Process
-Intelligence
-Political Violence and Terrorism
Georgetown University
Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS), Certificate in Arab Studies
2002 – 2003

Graduate coursework in Political Islam:
-Islamic Fundamentalism and Radicalism
-Islamic Political Jurisprudence
-Democracy and Islamic Movements
-Islamic Revivalism
Georgetown University
Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies: Summer Language Institute, Modern Standard Arabic
2002 – 2002

The American University in Cairo
Graduate certificate, Arabic
2001 – 2002

Graduate coursework in Arabic language and Islamic culture; Democracy and Islamic Movements; Islamic Revivalism.
The George Washington University
B.A., Journalism; Political Communication
1996 – 2001

Belmont Hill
High school, College prep
1992 – 1996

Recommendations For Dan

CEO
Applied Memetics, LLC

“Dan is one of those dream clients you get once in a blue moon: totally risk tolerant, possessed of a voracious appetite for learning, and the drive to turn pontification into action. I was very flattered he included me as a consultant in his startup, Applied Memetics, especially because I believe the work his company is about to accomplish will astonish people. Keep your eyes glued to this guy-- he rocks.” June 9, 2011 

 

Sunday, November 18, 2012

 

 Author: Tracey Eaton

 

http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/